Hit List: Best Music, Art & Culture

Universal Grammar, the San Jose-based party promotion outfit behind The Continental’s weekly neo-soul soiree, The Changing Same, have a knack for pulling forward-thinking funk, R&B and electronic music to the South Bay. And this week’s TCS headliner, Gavin Turek, is no exception. For the past two years, Turek has been building a name for herself and gathering powerful allies within Los Angeles’ potent dance music scene. A regular collaborator with TOKiMONSTA—the only female producer on Flying Lotus’ left-field-focused Brainfeeder label—Turek just dropped Good Look For You, a five-song set of contemporary disco jams. She performs Thursday at The Continental at 9pm.

Okilly DokillyThu, 8pm, $15The Ritz, San JoseLast summer, as the music blogosphere was taking a deep dive into Simpsonswave—penning think pieces on the YouTube-spawned micro-genre’s visual aesthetics, gauzy sonic textures and potential for conjuring bittersweet, spacey nostalgia—a group of Arizona metalheads were plotting a revolt. Phoenix-based Okilly Dokilly have a decidedly less chill take on The Simpsons, even if they draw their primary inspiration from one the show’s most tranquil characters. The quintet craft super-heavy, Ned Flanders-informed numbers which they call “Nedal.” Replete with biblical violence, odes to getting drunk on wine and a detailed rundown of “Donut Hell,” it’s as brutal as the Old Testament. (NV)

Jon PardiThu, 7:30pm, $35City National Civic, San JoseThis Central California-born singer, songwriter and producer has been making waves on the country music scene with his fun-loving stomper “Dirt on My Boots”—a tribute to putting in a hard day’s work in the field and clocking in some overtime with a big night out. “Might have a little dirt on my boots,” Pardi croons on the debut single from his sophomore LP, California Sunrise, released last summer. “But I’m takin’ you uptown tonight.” He’s been on the big-time country circuit for a few years, opening for the likes of Alan Jackson and Dierks Bentley before striking out on headlining tours of his own. (NV)

Lights Up!Fri, 8pm, $7+City Lights Theater, San JoseFeaturing food, drink, visual art and, of course, plays, City Lights Theater’s first festival of new works will showcase four full-length plays and a collection of shorts by local playwrights—including City Lights star Max Tachis as well as Leslie Martinson, associate artistic director of TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. Spanning a variety of genres, from romantic comedy to family drama, each production will be followed by an audience discussion with the cast and writer. It’s just the latest signal of growth from the SoFA District black box theater, which recently installed a cutting-edge projection mapping system for its production of Frankenstein. (NV)

Tea For TwoFri, 8pm, $15+Art Boutiki, San JoseComprising a burlesque performer from Hollywood and a master of illusion from London, the “Tea for Two Variety Revue” is an amalgam of titillation, circus sideshow, comedy and magic. The revue features the Los Angeles-based go-go Amy—producer of “The Pretty Things Peepshow”—and Tom Balmont, a comedian and magician from across the pond known for his own one-man show, “The Man with the Mechanical Heart.” Together, they specialize in sword swallowing, fire eating, a stunt known as the “blade box of doom,” and commanding a mind-reading dog. (NV)

The WeekndFri, 7:30pm, $114+SAP Center, San JoseStarting in 2011, he took the underground hip-hop world by storm with his trio of mixtapes: House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence. In the process The Weeknd, a.k.a. Abel Tesfaye, helped usher a new, darker sound into the pop music lexicon. Then he rode that sound to the top of the charts. His last two proper LPs, Beauty Behind the Madness and Starboy, both went platinum. The Weeknd fulfills the promise he made to fans at the Shark Tank in December 2015: “I don’t think I’m gonna skip this city ever… ever…” He returns to San Jose this Friday a bonafide superstar. (VS)

Bach TriosSat, 7:30pm, Sold OutBing Concert Hall, StanfordThe times, they are a-changin’. While American folk songs were once considered the fare of coffee houses and open-air festivals, the genre’s stars are now performing in the rarefied air of the concert hall. Three virtuoso musicians—cellist Yo-Yo Ma, double bassist Edgar Meyer, and mandolinist Chris Thile (the newly minted host of A Prairie Home Companion—are combining their classical training and appreciation of bluegrass to take on Bach. The trio will perform various works by the German baroque master, all arranged for cello, upright bass and mandolin. The three released Bach Trios earlier this month on Nonesuch Records. (NV)

Cesar MillanSat, 8pm, $49+City National Civic, San JoseInternationally recognized for his charisma in relation to canines, dog behavioralist Cesar Millan is the star of the NatGeo Wild TV show Cesar 911 and the former host of Dog Whisperer—a program now broadcast all over the globe in syndication. He’s penned multiple how-to books, including Cesar’s Way, on dog training and human-hound relations. His philosophy centers around the role humans have in projecting confidence and assuming a leadership position over their dogs. He is currently on the road with his famous four-legged companions, Junior and Benson, touring the country to teach dog lovers how to get the best out of their furry friends, and themselves. (NV)

WWE PaybackSun, 4:30pm, $175+SAP Center, San JoseMonday Night Raw’s pay-per-view show—WWE Payback—is set to feature championship belts and wrestlers from both Raw and Smackdown. After crossing over to the blue side in the wake of his Superstar Shake-up victory, Chris Owens looks to defend his U.S. Championship belt as he wrestles Chris Jericho. The winner will permanently become a Smackdown member. After originally being listed as a WWE Championship match, there has been no indication as to whether Bryan Wyatt will stick to his word and bring his belt to face Randy Orton after moving over from Raw to Smackdown. (BS)